Literary Magazine

My Time at VVECHS

I have been attending Valle Verde for almost three full years now, and I have had many
experiences here. There are so many different aspects of this school to talk about, so first I’ll
begin with the people. The people at this school make this place truly special, due to the
comparatively small population, over the years the people you bond with become almost like
family. I remember my first time at Valle Verde, we were still at Hacienda Heights because of
the construction happening on the main campus. The first time I was there was for project
endeavor, and that’s where I met one of my best friends to this day, because of how this school
makes you work together and get to know one another with team building games and other
activities that involve socializing. I am very grateful for project endeavor because of how it
helped us all get comfortable with not just each other but with the school too. Many of the close
bonds that I see people having originated from project endeavor, which goes to show how
impactful it is having that program. Back then is when I first noticed that the people that come to
this school are all so caring and kind, and everyone has their own story to make, not just the
students, but the faculty too and everyone else here. My first year here was filled with great
memories of new experiences, new friends, and new places. Most of my teachers that year were
kind and helpful, and great at teaching, I liked all the little events like the pep rallies and
especially homecoming. The environment here was great too and the year turned out to be a
great first year in high school, going by as a blur of fun and memorable moments. Then we

reached the first summer semester. When I first heard of the summer semester, I was very on-
edge about it, because I had been used to having my entire summer before, and now it was being

reduced to less than half of what it formerly was. Thankfully, it turned out to be not nearly as bad
as I had imagined it to be, the summer classes were only half day and they were not overly
challenging, so school became an easier version of the regular semesters, and I still had a lot of
time available to be with my friends and family. That was the most memorable summer I had
ever had, and it still is to this day. Then, the summer semester concluded, and the actual summer
had arrived, so I relaxed and prepared for the next school year which hastily came around.
Sophomore year had a completely different tone than the previous year, things got more serious,
and the maturity increased greatly, things moved slower, and we were no longer newbies. Even
though all these things had changed, the school still had a special environment, and the teachers
that year were especially kind and understanding, and overall, I was able to connect with them
like I had never been able to do before. Since it was a new year, the seniors had left and there
was a new batch of freshman coming to the school. That was another fun experience because I
was able to make even more friends with the new students and help them out with getting
accustomed to a new school. Sophomore year went by significantly slower than freshman year,
but it still turned out to be an even greater year, it was a little more challenging and the
responsibility that was required grew. The summer semester for sophomore year was very easy
and allowed me to spend a lot of time making memories with my friends and family, while it
also exposed me to new college experiences and opportunities. The summer semester concluded
quickly, and soon the next year was upon us. This year I moved on to being junior status, and
this year, like the last one, was slower, more challenging, but also more of a learning experience.
This year has been full of difficult challenges that I had never had to face before, but in the wake
of all these newfound challenges, I learned a lot about school and how it needs to be approached
and how sometimes you have to really put in work and time to get the results that you want. The
teachers this year are great too, but expectations have increased heavily, and there is much less
time to be wasted doing other things unrelated to work. It’s almost the end of junior year, and
things are going decently well, things are hard but not impossible and I am excited to see what is
to come with the summer semester and my final year of high school.